There Will Be An Answer
by princessozmaofoz
Summary: Whenever Albert and Mary find themselves overwhelmed with stress, they turn to each other for comfort. Songfic to The Beatles's " Let It Be."Albert/Mary. COMPLETE.


**Note: ****This songfic is set just before **_**Hunger.**_

**Disclaimer: ****Michael Grant—fortunate man that he is—owns the **_**Gone **_**books and The Beatles own "Let It Be." Also, I've posted this story on the Gaiaphage website so if you see this story there, I'm the one who posted it.**

There Will Be An Answer

Albert Hillsborough stood behind the counter of the McDonalds. Although the cheeseburgers and fries were long gone, Albert continued to come here—largely out of habit.

Today had been long and extremely tense—just as every day had been since the adults' disappearance. Despite the fact that Caine and his cronies were long gone, the FAYZ's problems were far from solved. Time had revealed that Perdido Beach's greatest adversary was not Caine—or even Drake. It was fear: fear of the coyotes, fear of the growing divide between moof and normal, fear of Caine, Diana, and Drake, and—most of all—fear of starvation.

It was this last fear that most concerned Albert, this last fear that he spent most of his time trying to think of ways to combat. Unfortunately, there was no clear solution in sight.

Not that Albert hadn't complexly exhausted his brain searching for a way to remedy the situation.

If only he had someone to really talk to about all this—someone who would really listen, someone who wouldn't laugh at him, someone who would help him figure out a decent course of action.

"Albert?" a voice said suddenly.

Albert started slightly and then turned his head to observe his visitor. It was Mary Terrafino—or "Mother Mary" as most kids called her. Albert looked at Mary, instantly blaming himself for how thin and pale she was. Maybe, if Albert had been able to stop the food shortage, Mary wouldn't be like this.

" Did Sam send you?" Albert asked.

" No…I…um…I came on my own. John's watching the day care while I take a few hours off. I was just walking by and decided to take a peek inside this old place."

It was always like this. Mary seemed to show up just when Albert most needed to see a friendly face.

_When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom. Let it be._

Mary walked over to the counterto join him_._ "Are you doing alright, Albert? The last time we talked, you seemed…" she trailed off, unsure of how to put this.

Albert felt his cheeks grow somewhat hot. The last time he and Mary had spoken, Albert had experienced the fourteen-year-old equivalent of a mid-life crisis. He'd been so overwhelmed that he'd held nothing back—alternately shouting and sobbing. Mary must have been disgusted—maybe even horrified.

But she hadn't shown it. She'd stayed with him, listening patiently to his outburst without offering comment or rebuke. When he'd finally calmed down, she'd placed a hand on his arm and told him that everything would be alright.

Albert had believed her for a time. Who wouldn't have? Mary Terrafino didn't have a dishonest bone in her body.

And though Albert's feelings of frustration had eventually returned, so had Mother Mary.

_And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom. Let it be._

"I'm fine, Mary," he said finally. "I'm just a little tired…and stressed."

She nodded sympathetically."I certainly don't blame you for feeling like that. Sometimes, I seriously wonder if the day is ever going to end."

"Yeah, but you have an excuse. Gosh, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to run the day care center."

"It's not as hard as you might think. It was a lot of work in the beginning, but now that I have help, it's pretty manageable," Mary responded, shuffling her foot bashfully.

"That's good."

"Are you sure you're alright, Albert?" Mary said after a brief awkward silence.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore," he said, sighing deeply and briefly massaging his throbbing forehead.

"Who _is_?" Mary pointed out. "But everything will work out in the end."

He looked at her curiously."How do you know?"

"I _don't_. I just believe. It's…it's about the only thing that keeps me sane. If I didn't honestly feel that things would get better someday, I…I would have ended this a long time ago."

He asked her what she would have ended.

Mary stared down at the ground. "I think you know what I meant," she said darkly.

Surely, she hadn't mean _life—_had she? Albert stared at Mary scrutinizingly, attempting to discern if the FAYZ's most-beloved person had really contemplated suicide.

Mary continued. "There has to be a solution. Otherwise, what's the point of anything?"

Albert shrugged; he really wasn't sure what he thought on that front. On one hand, he didn't want to give himself false hope, but on the other, he couldn't just accept defeat.

Then Mary spoke again and reached across the counter to touch one of Albert's hands. "A little faith goes a long way. Things aren't quite as bleak as you may think they are."

_Yet._ Although Mary did not say the word, it lingered in the air unspoken.

Eventually Albert nodded. "I suppose you're right. We will solve this. I just need to think of a way how."

'_And when the broken- hearted people living in the world agree there will be an answer, let it be.'_

"I'm sure you'll come up with something. You're the smartest person in the FAYZ."

Albert shook his head. "No I'm not. What about Astrid and that Jack kid from Coates?"

"Jack only knows about technology, and while Astrid_ is_ extremely clever, she's not always the best at applying her knowledge to real-life situations. It's street-smarts that matter in the FAYZ now. And you've got plenty of street smarts, Albert."

He smiled—though he wasn't _entirely_ sure she had meant this as a compliment. "If I'm really as smart as you seem to think, I guess I _will_ figure something out."

"Is that a promise or just your way of reassuring me?"

"Consider it _both_. I won't let you down, Mary."

She blushed slightly. "I know. I…I trust you. And I don't trust very many people."

"So I should consider myself lucky?" he teased.

"No, you should consider yourself _worthy._ She leaned in to the counter and tilted his chin up gently. "You're an incredible person, Albert Hillsborough. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Her face was very close to his, and Albert suddenly decided to show Mary Terrafino just how he incredible he thought that _she_ was. He closed his eyes and leaned over the counter. Just as he was about to place his lips on hers, a new voice caught his attention.

" Albert, I found something interesting and wanted you to be the first to know…Am I interrupting something?"

Albert moved out from behind the counter and glanced first at Mary, who was staring at him with an expression of shock on her lovely face, and then at Quinn Gaither, who looked equally uncomfortable.

"No…it's …it's nothing."

Mary's jaw dropped in response, and Albert quickly realized his mistake. A near-kiss was definitely more than "nothing." Why had he been so bold when he knew that he would never deserve her?

"I really should be getting back to work," Mary said quickly as she turned to leave.

Albert wanted to call her back—to explain why he'd behaved as he did—but she was long gone.

Quinn started to mutter something about cabbages that had been found in one of the fields, but Albert did not pay much attention. He was still thinking about Mary and about what she had said earlier. Even if the unofficial mother of the FAYZ hated him forever for trying to kiss her, Albert Hillsborough would always remember and treasure her words of comfort.

' _And though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see. There will be answer. Let it be.'_

The End

**As always, feedback is VERY welcome. Oh and this is my first songfic, so if you're going to flame, try not be too mean about it.**


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